chapter thirty-five

Chapter 35

Jasmine maintained her professional composure, but inside, her mind was already turning over the implications of Mr. Laurent's words. She had dealt with high-profile clients before, but something about him—about the way he carefully chose his words—set off alarm bells in her head.

Still, she had a job to do.

"Mr. Laurent," she said gently, "it sounds like you're carrying a great deal of pressure. You mentioned that mistakes aren't tolerated—do you feel like you're constantly walking on thin ice?"

He let out a dry laugh, running a hand over his neatly groomed beard. "That's one way to put it."

Jasmine observed him closely. He seemed tired, as if the weight of whatever he was dealing with was suffocating him.

She leaned forward slightly. "You don't have to give me specifics, but I want to understand—do you feel like this pressure is coming from external sources or is it something you've put on yourself?"

Mr. Laurent hesitated before answering. "Both." He met her gaze, something unreadable flashing in his eyes. "Have you ever been in a situation where you had no choice but to play by someone else's rules?"

Jasmine's stomach tightened, her mind flashing back to Ethan. To the way she had once felt trapped, helpless.

"Yes," she admitted quietly.

Mr. Laurent nodded, as if he had expected her answer. "Then you understand. Sometimes, it doesn't matter what you want. You do what you must to survive."

Jasmine chose her next words carefully. "And do you feel like you're merely surviving, Mr. Laurent?"

For a moment, he didn't respond. Then, he exhaled and leaned back in his chair. "Perhaps."

Jasmine studied him, sensing there was more he wasn't saying.

"Your wife recommended you to me," she noted. "She must care about you deeply."

A faint smile touched his lips. "She does. She always says I hold too much in. That it will eat away at me."

Jasmine offered a reassuring nod. "Keeping everything bottled up rarely helps. This is a space where you don't have to do that."

Mr. Laurent held her gaze for a moment before exhaling. "That's what she said you would say."

Jasmine smiled. "She sounds like a smart woman."

"She is." His expression grew serious again. "I don't expect you to fix anything, Dr. Harrington. But perhaps talking will help."

"That's a start," Jasmine said softly.

As the session went on, she guided him through discussions of stress management and emotional burden, but she couldn't shake the feeling that there was an underlying tension in his words.

Something told her this was more than just a businessman struggling with work-life balance.

And for the first time since accepting him as a client, she wondered—had she unknowingly stepped even deeper into Antonio's world?

Later That Night

Jasmine sat on her couch, staring at her laptop screen.

She had tried searching for Antonio before, but tonight, curiosity got the better of her again.

She typed in Antonio Romano into the search bar.

As expected, dozens of results popped up—articles about AR Corporation, his rise to success, charity events he attended, business ventures. But there was nothing personal.

No family history.

No past relationships.

No controversies.

It was as if someone had carefully curated every piece of information about him, ensuring only the polished, professional side was visible.

Jasmine frowned, clicking through links, but each one told her the same thing—Antonio Romano was an enigma.

She chewed on her lip before hesitantly typing something else.

Antonio Romano mafia rumors

The search loaded, but all that appeared were vague conspiracy theories, old forum posts with no real evidence.

And then, there were the blocked sites. Links that, when clicked, led to error messages or dead ends.

Jasmine's stomach tightened. Someone had made sure no real information about him was accessible.

Just how powerful was he?

And more importantly…

Why did he seem so determined to keep her away from his world if she was already being pulled into it?